Crimson Scars
by Elyna Lore
Summary: Two souls for the price of one. The offer was just so tempting, Sebastian could not pass up the opportunity for such a meal.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own either Kuroshitsuji or Naruto.

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Crimson Scars 1

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Fragments, she hated fragments so much. It reminded her of what she'd lost. Her world, her family… they were gone now, destroyed by the void.

It was unfair, she didn't believe she deserved to lose them so easily… she was told that only bad people lost precious things… was she bad? Yes? No? Maybe, she really didn't know…

She was alone now. Wandering alone a different world…

Steps, she walked around, lost…

Its dark now… how long has she been wandering? She didn't know…

Crying… she heard someone crying, maybe they were lost as well…

She followed the sound, dragging her now torn dress through the muddy floor of the forest. Blood stained her pink locks, eyes greener than emerald looked determined, she went on her way.

She found him, a little boy with midnight black hair and deep blue diamond like eyes. He wasn't alone; there were people who were holding him down but he was struggling.

She admired him; he was still fighting even though it was useless… Maybe he needed her help… Without any second thoughts, she ran to them with a kunai ready in hand, they didn't notice her until she stabbed one of them at their back.

Masked faces turned to her, surprise was in their eyes. She didn't falter, stabbing and slashing as she went through them. Her attention fixed on the boy she wanted to save.

More of them came and soon enough she was held down. Her kunai stripped from her hand, one of the masked people was almost about to kill her when he was stopped. Another one had told him to…

She scowled as one of them grasped her face, inspecting her like an object.

"What do ya reckon we do with this one?" One of them asked…

"Tch, I say we kill 'er… she ain't worth anything anyways…" Another said…

The one who had been inspecting her spoke. "No, I say we bring 'er along, we might need a spare…"

They pulled her down, binding her arms and legs tightly, she didn't mind… Once they were securely bound, the masked men blindfolded them both.

They were roughly thrown into a carriage. She could still hear the boy's soft silent cries so she did her best to come to him, struggling with her bindings as she all but practically crawled to the boy.

Once she was close to the boy, she nudged him comfortingly.

"It's okay…You shouldn't cry anymore…" She could almost see him scowl at her as she heard him growl.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?"

She giggled, ignoring how indignant he sounded. She imagined his face scrunched up in anger.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing… it's just that I like you better this way… I don't like people crying."

"What?"

"It's as I said… I don't like people crying. It makes them weak."

"Weak?"

"Hai, Weak. People always cry when they lose something, they waste time crying…"

"Waste time?"

"Aa… People waste time crying over something that can't be restored. Instead of doing something productive they waste time crying and that makes them weak."

The boy said nothing but the girl continued on…

"Something once lost will NEVER RETURN." She spat out the last part with what sounded like disdain.

Maybe she was right…

His Mother…

His Father…

His dog, Sebastian…

…they were all gone now.

The wave of sadness came back he pulled his knees closer, burying his face on them desperately trying to hold himself together. The sadness was too great…

"_Deep underground, I kept digging a hole_

_Without knowing where it would lead_

_With a dirt-covered eyepiece in one hand_

_I searched for your arm_

_Scraping together patchwork happiness, and sowing it,_

_I was crushed by your strength…"_

He heard her singing… the melody… he couldn't understand but somehow he knew it was for him…

He wanted to hear more of the song but suddenly the carriage stopped. Suddenly he was being pulled on once more and once more, he resisted but this time it was because he didn't want to leave the girl.

"Where will we put this one?" He heard one of his captors say; he silently wished that they wouldn't separate them…

"They can go into the same cell. They might need the company." He could hear how sadistically those words were said, fear washed over him…

"It's alright…" He heard her whisper to him, he felt the comfort behind her words but he couldn't help feeling the fear that was building up in his chest.

Dragged along…

Wandering through halls blindly…

Then

Down the steps they went...

Deeper and Deeper, down into the depths…

The stench of death lingered around…

He could only assume that they were being put in the dungeon…

His assumption was right; they were thrown into the cell just as roughly as they were thrown into the carriage.

Their captors decided that they could do without the bindings; it wasn't like they could escape after all, they were just children.

The cell was then locked after they were released from their bindings.

The cell was dark; the only light that could pass through was from a melting candle and from a window perched at the top of the walls.

He tried to open the cell door but it was futile.

"You're wasting your energy… It won't work…" Her voice was quiet but it still seemed to echo through the whole cell.

He looked over at his companion who'd stayed silent ever since they were dragged there. It was the first time he ever took notice of her features since he had been busy struggling to escape his captors before.

He found her features weird; since he'd never seen anyone with pink hair before. There were plenty of times that he'd seen red tinted hair but he'd never seen one in a the lightest shade of pink.

It made her look fragile but it suited her none the less.

Her eyes were also quite striking; they were the most brilliant shade of emerald green he'd ever laid his eyes upon.

Those two things were the most noticeable features that she possessed but combined with a heart-shaped face and with seemingly soft lips it made her look like a princess of sorts.

Her clothes were tattered, torn and bloodied.

He couldn't help but wonder what she'd been through…

Had she been through something that was similar to him?

He didn't know.

He realized that he didn't know anything about her nor did she know anything about him. He didn't even know her name but he did know that right now, they shared the same fate.

He approached her and sat in front of her.

"What's your name?" He asked her, if they were going to share the same fate, he should at least know her name.

"…" When she didn't speak, he felt almost like he was rejected. Just as he was about to turn away… he heard her voice…

"Sakura…"

Sakura? He'd never heard of such a name before…

"What's yours?"

"Ciel…"

"I've never heard of a person named Ciel… What does it mean?"

What did it mean? Hmm… He recalled something that his mother had said about his name. She'd said that his name meant something like 'Sky'.

"I think it means Sky… I'm not very sure…"

"Aa, mine means Cherry Blossoms... since my Kaa-san told me that I was born the day the biggest Sakura tree that our family owned had blossomed after many years of being barren…"

"Kaa-san?"

"Hai. 'Okaa-san', it means 'Mother' and 'Otou-san' means 'Father' from where I came from…"

"Are you a foreigner?"

"I guess so…" He watched as her face looked thoughtful, it seemed as though she wasn't really sure.

She stayed silent after that. He didn't know what more to ask of her and it was already obvious that she no longer wanted to talk.

The sadness came back but now he no longer wanted to cry.

"Sakura?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"What did you mean by what you said earlier?"

"Huh?" He watched her focus her eyes on him.

"Something once lost will never return?"

He saw her eyes shine with sadness.

"Oh, that… It's nothing really; it's just something that I realized when I arrived here…"

"What is it?"

"You ask so many questions…"

His eyes widened when she said those words, he was acting stupid. She was right; he really was asking so many questions about her personal life… he was about to turn away when he glimpsed her eyes gleaming with so much sadness, it was as if she wanted to cry but she was stopping herself…

"Demo, I guess I have no one to talk to about it so I'll tell you…"

"I realized that I'll never be able to go home and that I don't have a home any more…"

Before he could even ask why she'd already continued…

"ANBU took them away… they said that Kaa-san and Tou-san did something bad and they had to be punished. Kaa-san wanted to hide me but ANBU were already there… I saw what they did! They killed Kaa-san and Tou-san!"

"They took Kaa-san and Tou-san away! ANBU wanted to take me away too but Kaa-san stopped them. Kaa-san held me even though she was already hurt. Kaa-san made some hand seals but I didn't know what was going on and then I was suddenly in the middle of a forest. I wandered around and that was when I realized that Kaa-san saved me but they were gone now and I'll never ever be able to have them back… then I heard someone crying… I wanted to help…"

"All I've ever done was to cry… I couldn't help Kaa-san and Tou-san because I was crying so much… people would laugh and make me cry because they said that I was a crybaby with a big forehead."

"I don't think that you have a big forehead…" He said what he knew was true…

"Arigatou… Ciel-kun."

"Ne, Ciel-kun… Were you crying because you lost your Kaa-san and Tou-san too?" He didn't know how she could've figured it. He didn't trust himself to speak without ending up cracking so he only nodded to her, eyes down cast and overshadowed with grief. He wasn't able to fully grieve yet…

"Ne, Ciel-kun… It's alright, you can cry now… Just this once, we can cry together and then we won't have to cry anymore…"

He felt her embrace him comfortingly as she said those words and once he was safely nuzzled in her embrace, the tears he'd been keeping locked in was released.

She sang again to him, once again the words that he couldn't understand filled his ears…

"_Tsumetai namida o tataete_

_Toki ga michiru koro_

_Anata wa hikari o sagashite_

_Yami o hiraku darou…"_

It was different this time, the song wasn't the same one she'd sang before but it was just as sad and comforting.

"_Akane no utagoe_

_Sono mune o somete yuku_

_Eien ni kogarete_

_Chiriisogu shirabe no you ni_

_Kagayaku sora no shijima ni wa_

_Watashi no niwa ga aru_

_Itsuka anata ga tadoritsuku_

_Migiwa no kanata ni…"_

He allowed himself to be lost within the melody, the pain he'd felt was still there. It hurt much more now but at the same time it seemed like it was fading away. His tears still flowed endlessly down his cheeks and unto Sakur's dress, but he also felt her own tears drench his clothes.

"_Tsuki o mamoru yoru no yami ga_

_Sasayaku komoriuta_

_Nakanai kodomo no hitomi ga_

_Yume ni nureru made…_

_Sayonara_

_Nido to wa aenai anata da kara_

_Itoshiku kuruwashiku_

_Yoru wa mune o eguru you ni_

_Kagayaku sora no shijima ni wa_

_Anata no ie ga aru_

_Tsuki no ochiru yami no mukou_

_Minamoto e kaeru_

_Hosoi michi" _

Even though she had been crying, her voice didn't falter. She knew he didn't know it but she sang a song of farewell, not for them but for their loved ones who would never ever be able to come back.

She kept Ciel in her embrace, lulling him to sleep before allowing herself to do so as well. He still had the semblance of innocence that had been driven away from her since she'd decided to become a ninja, she had yet to tell him of her origins and she knew that he may not understand everything but those matters didn't concern her. For now she was just a kid, one that was still grieving the loss of those she held dear.

The fate that lay ahead of them was still unclear, but somehow she knew that it would be one filled with blood and tears. But it won't be their tears that would be shed, no. The tears would belong to those who'd dare hurt them. If by any chance she would be able to return to Konoha, she'll see to it that they too would hurt the way she did.

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Ciel and Sakura woke up to the sound of the cell door being opened.

A tray was slipped in. It seemed that they were being supplied their meal for the day, the contents were simply a loaf of stale bread and a single goblet of water.

The two could do nothing about the food that they'd been supplied with. Sakura was the one who broke the loaf in half. Though they were reluctant to eat the food they had no choice but to do so since if they didn't they end up starving.

Sakura saw how much Ciel struggled to eat the bread. She knew that he wasn't used to eating such kind of food. She figured it out because of his clothes, though they were tattered and torn much like her own, they were still of high quality.

Time elapsed for the two of them; Sakura didn't know how long they'd been kept in that cell. She and Ciel tried to get to know more about each other.

It was probably midday when he cell door opened once more; the two of them were hauled to their feet and were taken to a different chamber, one that was used for torturing.

Sakura and Ciel suffered through a whipping session. The two of them bit back their cries of pain since they didn't want to show any weakness to those people.

Their captors had been enraged when they found that the two were not responding the way that they'd hoped they would.

Ciel and Sakura had both decided that they wouldn't give their captors the satisfaction of drawing out their anguished cries.

They'd rather die in silence than to allow those people to humiliate them further.

The acts of torture continued for days, maybe even weeks but the two didn't have any sense of time so they could've cared less about how much time had passed since they'd been brought there.

Whenever their torture sessions would end, the two would curl up in each other's arms and comfort each other. It was only then that they'd release all of their pain and sorrow for their suffering.

When they were not being tortured, Sakura would teach Ciel about her language which the young boy easily learned. He had become quite good at it, using it whenever they were in the presence of their captors so they would not be able to know about what they were talking about.

In return, Ciel would tell her about all he knew of his own culture, Sakura was most interested with the knowledge of the things that most noble women would do. It was a good pastime for them because it kept them sane.

One night, when the two were about to fall into slumber, their cell door was banged open. Hand in hand, the two of them were dragged out onto a chamber that had an altar of sorts. Though they kept their faces blank, Sakura felt dread rise from within her as she laid her eyes upon the stone table in the middle. There were many people present; they wore masks on their faces and it was as if they were going to participate in an important ritual.

Sakura tightened her grip on Ciel's hand when she realized that they would probably be the ones used for the ritual.

She was right.

Ciel was forcibly torn away from her as he was chained to the table. Sakura was also taken to the middle; they forced her on her knees as she was chained facing Ciel.

Sakura felt the white hot pain brought upon the onslaught of whips against her already tender flesh. She could only hiss in pain as this happened. She fixed her gaze towards Ciel and found that he was screaming and struggling but she couldn't focus on what he was screaming about.

She watched in horror as Ciel was branded like an animal. By that time the torture she was going through had already become so intense that her body could no longer take the pain. The last thing she heard was Ciel's scream.

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'Stop it!'

'Don't touch her!'

'NO!'

'Stop hurting her!'

Since his attention was so focused on what was happening with Sakura, he didn't notice the masked men approach him with a heated iron, it had a weird symbol on it.

He was emerged in the burning pain brought out by his flesh coming into contact with the iron. He felt the onslaught of the emotions that he'd been keeping locked burst from within him.

Somehow, through that burning pain, he felt the heavy chains drag him down, down deep into hell.

It was there where he met an Akuma.

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Sakura woke up to the warmth of the sun shining upon her pale cheeks. She expected to find herself back at the cell with Ciel but she found herself outside, leaning against a tree. Ciel was nowhere in sight.

The young girl tried to pull herself up but was not able to since it seemed that her wounds were still very much tender and fresh.

Closing her eyes, Sakura let a few tears trickle down her face as she thought of the possibility that Ciel was gone too.

"Tears are a sign of weakness…" When Sakura heard those words, she immediately opened her eyes. She found Ciel staring at her but he kept his right eye closed Sakura felt worried but none the less she was relieved. She pulled the blue eyed boy in a tight embrace, allowing tears of relief overflow from her eyes.

Ciel returned her embrace but he did not shed any tears. The young boy allowed his female companion to release her bottled emotions. Minutes passed by slowly but eventually her tears subsided. When she finally pulled away from him, he watched the expression on her face immediately become guarded and blank. He knew why. She finally noticed Sebastian.

"Ciel? What is going on? What happened to your eye and who is He?"

Ciel refused to answer her question; it seemed that he was having an inner conflict.

"Ciel! Answer me!"

Ciel sighed. He knew that if he lied to her it would only hurt her and he didn't want to do that. Reluctantly, he opened his right eye. The mark of his contract with Sebastian was glowing.

"What is that?"

"This is the mark of my contract with him." He pointed his finger with Sebastian.

He already knew that she'd ask even more questions so he decided that it was better if he'd answer all of it so that he could spare her the trouble.

"He's a demon and I made a contact with him so that all of those people who dared sully my dignity would pay and in exchange he would be my servant until my revenge has been fulfilled."

'And so that you wouldn't be hurt anymore.' He added silently.

Sakura couldn't believe what Ciel had told her. Who in their right mind would sell their soul for such a thing?

"I don't understand! Why did you have to do this! There are many ways to achie-"

"You and I both know that there would have been no other way. He is the only spider thread that I have left and I did this for the both of us."

Sakura stayed silent after she heard what Ciel had said. Would there have been no other way? Maybe he was right. Last night was the most horrible night that she and Ciel had experienced; she even thought that they would have surely died.

Sebastian had been watching the children. It was quite amusing to him but at the same time he felt disgusted. It seemed that his Soul bore an unbreakable bond with the young girl. Their souls were still young so he could still probably mold both of their souls into one that would suit his taste.

Two for the price of one…

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**Okay, so I have no idea why I suddenly decided to do this. **

**I don't know if anyone would like it but I terribly hope so…**

**The songs used were "Chou" from fatal frame 2 and "Kagayaku Sora no Shijima no wa" Kuroshitsuji 2's second ending theme. **

**I don't think that I'll have Sakura sing anymore songs so no one has to worry about this turning out to be some sort of Song fic.**

**I would really like to know what you think of this so… **

**May I please ask for your insights?**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kuroshitsuji

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Hi guys! I'm back! Uh kinda back? Sorry for the long wait! I've had a ton of things to do and I am still actually in the middle of my thesis. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and I really hope you don't mind all the grammar mistakes that I might've committed.

This chapter contains some scenes from the manga. I wanted the story to be more accurate with the manga but it doesn't mean that this story will turn out to one of those stories that only insert a character into the crossover. There will be many twists so please wait for those.

Finally!

Chapter 2

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Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.

-Edvard Munch-

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Angelina Durless.

Tragedy had always followed Angelina so avidly in her young life. In love and in happiness, tragedy followed her like a looming shadow waiting around the corners to strike. Her tragedy took the form of the color red. The color she so loathed, the color she abhorred so passionately. Growing up it was the color that served as her humiliation. It made her different. It made her stand out. It made her an easy target for ridicule and humiliation. No one appreciated her red hair but one person did. That person had become her first love, her first infatuation but alas, he was not for her. He was for her sister and because she loved her sister, she endured her painful unrequited love and strived to be happy for their sakes.

Happiness did come to her. When her sister's child was born, she experienced the joy of being an aunt. Simply being an aunt allowed her to feel a joy that she supposed came from motherhood, and how she longed for such a joy to herself. She opened her heart once more, and she found love in the form of Baron Barnett, a man whom was pure and gentle, understanding to her feelings of unrequited love to another. He loved her genuinely and expected nothing from her in return, so patient in loving her. Soon the chance for her to become a mother came. The excitement and joy of expecting a child was a bliss she and her husband felt happily but tragedy struck then. Unforgiving and harsh it stole from her, the happiness she longed for. Death took away both her new love and child, harshly robbing her of any chance to be happy.

Her sister tried very hard to uplift her spirits. Rachel tried to distract her from the pain in the form of celebrating Ciel's birthday. Angelina tried to do so but once more tragedy struck. The Phantomhive Manor was burned down, her sister and her husband dead, and Ciel went missing. Her world was again dyed in red. The death of dyed in crimson red, a life of tragedies spun from the hateful color. The color of blood haunted her, mocking her as she lived.

Those people who threw away the things she had been robbed of had been her breaking point. They knew nothing of the gift that they wanted to throw away so easily. Selfish and shallow as they were, they couldn't begin to fathom the way she felt about the matter. If they were so quick to throw away such a gift then she had all the right to take it from them the way she saw fit. She ripped from them their life, dying her hands in crimson red.

Her journey to hell was dyed in the color of crimson, overflowing from the blood of those sinners. Overflowing with her own crimson dyed tears.

A month into Ciel's disappearance, a ray of hope unexpectedly shone back into her darkened world. Her beloved nephew came back to her.

The halls of the Royal London hospital never seemed so vast in the moment she run on her heels to once more catch a glimpse of her nephew. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears, adrenaline pushing her faster. Wildly throwing the doors open she didn't expect the sight that greeted her.

There he was, Ciel. His hair limp and dull against his head, his body so thin and sullen, he looked nothing like the little boy she once recalled him to be. His features were haunted, a pain in her eyes that she couldn't begin to fathom. Alongside him was a girl of blood encrusted pink hair. She reflected the image of her nephew so perfectly, their hands tightly entwined together. Behind the children stood a butler clad in black. He stood back from her nephew at a comfortable distance, Angelina didn't know who he and the little girl were but she could've cared less. The only thing that mattered to her was that she had one of her beloved back. No matter how haunting the image, it was enough for her to have him back.

"Ciel! You're so thin!" She drew him to her. Embracing her in her warmth so tightly as if convincing herself that he was real and this was not merely a dream.

"I'm glad… At least you are fine…" The tears streaked her face, expressing all her feelings; the worry, fear and her relief. For the first time in a long while, she felt a little more alive. Ciel returned her affection albeit a little less enthusiastically.

After a few more minutes in his aunt's embrace, Ciel drew away, his hand once more reaching out to his pink haired companion. Angelina regarded his actions carefully, it seemed to her that Ciel somehow needed the pink haired girl to compose himself, as if her presence reassured him and comforted him. She could lay no fault in his actions; whatever they had been through may have caused them to create a bond with each other. She'd seen this once before, from trauma patients that experienced a horrible event together, she knew the consequences of separation could lead to insanity. She couldn't risk such a thing.

Careful of her stance, she lowered herself to meet the eyes of the young girl whose eyes were cast down.

"Hello dear, my name is Angelina Durless, I'm Ciel's aunt." Her words were careful and soft spoken. Angelina watched as the girl's eye rose to meet her, the brilliance of her emerald eyes took Angelina by surprise. She'd never once saw such brilliance before. Even Elizabeth's eyes were not as beautiful as the girl's before her.

Those eyes flickered over to her nephew in a sort of panic_. "What do I do?" _The girl spoke to Ciel in a different language though uncertainty was very much evident in her tone.

"_Just stay calm, introduce yourself. It's alright you can trust her." _Ciel said to the pink haired girl carefully, tightening his grip in a comforting gesture. Angelina was shocked as she heard her nephew speak fluently in a different language she knew that before his disappearance that Ciel knew no other language aside from their own.

"A-a, my n-name is S-Sakura." The girl was obviously uncomfortable in introducing herself. Angelina saw how she gripped Ciel's hand as she spoke. There was an obvious fear and distrust in the way the girl guarded herself. It showed Angelina how deep the trauma was.

Instead of pushing the girl into a conversation, Angelina decided to place her attention back to Ciel after giving Sakura a comforting smile, the rest of the afternoon was spent in discussing about Ciel's plans. Angelina found that the butler's name was Sebastian but Ciel didn't speak about how he came to be in his service and Angelina didn't really want to press the issue.

She tried to convince Ciel to stay with her back at her home but the young boy refused her offer. He wanted to go home to the manor. Seeing that she couldn't do anything to convince her nephew to change his decision, Angelina called for a carriage to accompany Ciel and his companions to the Phantomhive estate.

She bid her beloved nephew farewell, once more enveloping the young boy into her embrace. She watched on as the carriage faded from view and silently prayed that he would be strong enough to withstand the sight he would find upon returning to the estate.

* * *

The journey to the manor was quiet. It was apparent to Sakura that Ciel was anxious about returning to the manor. She knew that it must be hard on him. Not knowing what to expect when they arrive, not knowing if it had any semblance to the home he grew up in. If she were the one to experience such a thing, she too would be beside herself in worry. A part of her did want to return to her home but she knew that there would be nothing left there for her. In this place, she at least had Ciel as company and she knew that Ciel needed her. For his sake, she would stay.

The carriage drew to a stop, signaling that it was finally time to get off. The first to go down was Sebastian, and as Sakura gazed at Ciel she knew by the troubled look on his face that he was not yet quite ready to face his home. Sakura followed Sebastian, the butler gently guiding her down the carriage. Drawing a breath she looked up to look upon the sight before her. The burned remains of the manor was a haunting sight to behold. Sakura could only imagine how beautiful a sight it must have been once.

A sharp gasp drew her out of her musings, turning back to the carriage; she found the disbelieving eyes of her companion as he took in the reality of their situation. Casting his gaze away from the ruins of his home, Ciel made his way into his family's cemetery. The newly made graves of his mother and father made his heart wretch in pain causing his to call out in grief.

Unshed tears clouded his vision but he did not let his tears fall. The time for crying had been over. He would not allow himself to shed anymore tears. He would never allow himself to be weak. Before the graves of his parents he made a vow. He vowed that he would bestow upon those who sullied his family's name the same pain and humiliation that he had gone through. He would exact upon them his vengeance and he would spare them no mercy.

He felt the weight of a hand settle on his shoulder. Without even turning, he knew who it belonged to. Sakura placed her hand on Ciel's shoulder in an effort to comfort the young boy. Ciel's shoulder shook with grief but still he reined his tears in. Sakura understood why he refused to allow his tears to fall. The time for tears had already passed and now was the time to fight back. They would regain the dignity they both lost on that fateful night by all means necessary.

Sebastian curiously watched both his little charges. With an amused smirk, he made his way back to the ruins of the Phantomhive mansion and set out to restore it. He couldn't have his little lord and lady spend the night in the cold now could he…

The chilly breeze caressed the pale cheeks of the two children still standing before the graves. Ciel figured that he'd pay his respects long enough, taking Sakura's hand in his he decided to call Sebastian so that they may look for an inn to stay for the night. As he turned he saw Sebastian emerge from the gate a smile plastered on his face.

"Ah master, I was just going to fetch you. The night wind is not good for the both of you. Let us retire now." His tone was light, the smile still on his face.

"Aa. There must be a nearby inn that we can rent for the night-"

"There is no need for such, young master." His tone was patronizingly mysterious.

The two children shared a look of wonder not really knowing what he meant. The butler led them back to the front; both the children were taken aback as the sight of a fully restored mansion greeted them. No longer was it the burned remains of Ash and concrete. It was just as Ciel had remembered. Down to the very last detail of crack, everything was as it should be.

"No way…"

"How in the…?"

Both of them couldn't believe it. Just how was such a thing possible?

Sebastian smirked at the two children, quietly relishing at their astonishment of his work.

"How could I be a butler of an Earl if I could not do this? As an Earl, you are supposed to live in a beautiful mansion such as this right. Now come, starting from this day, this is your manor." He held the door open for the two.

Seeing as the children were both quite filthy, Sebastian set out to draw them both a bath. Being the gentleman, Ciel insisted that Sakura take her bath first. Sebastian had no trouble assisting the young girl with her bath. She didn't protest to him being present as she took her bath, she only winced when he poured too much hot water into the bath. Sakura gently asking him to stop and letting him know that the water's temperature was enough for her. Though it seemed that she was very self conscious about his presence, she didn't make any fuss about it. When he assisted in scrubbing her back, the young girl on turned her back towards him without any qualms, shyly hiding her intimate parts from the demon. Once the young girl was done with her bath, she politely asked Sebastian to step out of the bathroom so she could wipe her body with the towel.

The experience of assisting the young boy in his bath was far different from the girl's. When he poured too much hot water, Ciel protested loudly. He apologized at his mistake and offered to wash the boy's body which earned him another loud protest.

"Don't touch me! Get out! I'll finish by myself!" The young boy screamed at his butler. It annoyed the demon greatly. Such a disagreeable and ungrateful boy!

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that young master. You are still quite dirty; the risk of you getting sick because of not being able to properly clean your wounds is something that I cannot take."

Instead of listening to his words, Ciel became even angrier, splashing a great amount of water on Sebastian.

"GET OUT!"

Deciding he'd had enough, the butler did as the boy wished and exited the room still soaking wet. What a brat! He thought.

The sound of a loud crash startled him. Hurrying back inside, he saw Ciel, sprawled across the floor. Ciel pressed a hand upon his bruised forehead, struggling to stand. Sebastian came to him, bringing him to his feet.

"What in the world happened?"

"I just slipped when I was trying to grab the towel."

"You must be very tired from everything that happened today, allow me to wash your body…"

"I said you don't have to."Ciel said flinching away from his butler's hand.

Instead of relenting to the boys wishes as he'd done before. Sebastian decided that he'd had enough of the boy's stubborn attitude. Grasping the boy's cheeks he made Ciel look into his eyes. The sight of the demon's slitted eyes awoke the fear that Ciel first felt when he met the demon.

"You're being too stubborn. Humans are weak little creatures who can die easily because of bacteria and infection from the smallest wounds. You, my lord, are still just a child. You cannot treat your injuries properly yet so stop being so troublesome."

His tone was harsh, bearing all the seriousness that finally made the young boy relent. Without anymore fuss, Ciel was finally able to finish his bath. As Sebastian was drying him, Ciel's stomach growled, signaling his apparent hunger much to his embarrassment. The demon smirked once more.

"Hmm, Humans are still low being that will get hungry under any circumstance, it seems."

"Shut up."

It was obvious to Sebastian that Ciel was still miffed at being scolded by him but there was actually nothing that the boy could do. Once he finished dressing the boy, he retrieved Sakura who had gone into one of the many bedrooms of the manor. The girl had been absently combing her hair with a brush as she stared beyond her reflection from the vanity.

Clearing his throat, the young girl jumped, startled out of her thoughts.

"It's time for dinner." Sakura nodded at him. Putting down the brush, she cast her reflection another glance before turning away from the vanity and proceeded to follow the butler.

She met Ciel by the hallway and the both of them were led into the dining room. Ciel took his seat at the head of the table while she sat on the seat on his right side. In a blink of an eye, the empty table became filled with various dishes of all sorts of food.

Once more the butler had taken them by surprise. Providing them with dinner without even needing to actually cook anything was a feat all in itself. Ciel didn't like it.

As Sebastian proceeded to serve the two of them their meal, Ciel decided to voice his concern.

"Sebastian…"

"Yes?"

"Don't ever do something like this again"

"Why?" The butler asked with a frown on his face.

"Because no normal butler can rebuild a house in one night or serve dinner in a blink of an eye."

"We have to keep pretenses up, right?" Sakura asked quietly, voicing her own concern in the matter.

"Sakura is right. It's just that if someone sees you doing such a thing, they'll become suspicious."

"Hmm… So you want me to do everything by hand?" Sebastian looked thoughtful.

"Not necessarily, you just have to pretend to. It is as you said. Humans are lowly creatures. They can't make anything out of thin air. Humans need to make use of ingredients and time. You're our butler right? Do as we ask."

Sebastian understood what they asked of him, so he would do so even though it was quite troublesome for him.

"Very well." He said as he set the plate of food down in front of Ciel.

Quietly the young boy proceeded to eat his meal. As he took his first bite, he found the taste too overwhelming for him. Beside him Sakura also felt her eyes water at the overwhelming taste. Trying to contain their stomachs, the two children downed a glass of water.

"Oh my…" Sebastian mumbled as he saw the reaction of both his charges.

"I suppose this menu is far too heavy for you two considering fact that you've been in that place for all this time. I'll make some Riso-"

"Enough, I'm going to sleep." Ciel had already lost his appetite and he no longer wanted to put up with this.

Unlike Ciel, Sakura didn't mind much about the heaviness of the taste of the meal and instead of blatantly disregarding the food, Sakura asked the butler for a loaf of bread which the butler easily handed to her.

As Ciel was starting to get up, Sakura called out to him.

"You shouldn't go to bed with an empty stomach Ciel."

The blue eyed boy turned to his companion, the way Sakura looked at him made him reconsider his actions. He knew she was right. The whole day had passed and he had actually yet to eat anything since last night.

With a sigh he sat back on his seat. Sakura offered him some of the bread with a smile. He took the offered bread and started to eat.

As the scene unfolded before him, Sebastian came up with the realization that the only person who could easily make the boy more amiable was the pink haired girl. All of the unreasonable actions of his master could easily be influenced by the girl. It even appeared as though the girl's opinion was the only one that mattered to the young Phantomhive.

This was certainly an interesting development.

Once the meal was over with, Sebastian accompanied the children to their rooms. Reaching Sakura's designated room, Ciel was filled with a great apprehension at the thought of sleeping alone on his own and just as Sakura was entering her room he reached out to her clasping her wrist in his hold, stopping her from entering. Sakura turned to him with a curious look. Seeing his obvious distress, she immediately understood what he wanted.

"It's alright Ciel. I'll sleep in your room with you if you want." Sakura said to the boy, correctly guessing what he wanted her to do.

If Sebastian had been a regular human, he wouldn't have allowed such a thing but since he was a demon he could have cared less about the rather inappropriate actions of the two children. It wasn't actually proper for a girl and a boy to share a room unless they were to be married and in the case of the two, they weren't. He figured that he could be lenient to this act since there was no one else with them.

Leading the two children into Ciel's room, the two children approached the bed. Sakura taking her place on the right side while Ciel stayed on the left. Sebastian left them alone for a while, while he fetched them some warm milk. Once he returned to the room, he found the both of them quietly lounging around.

"What is that?" Sakura asked, indicating the trolley that Sebastian had just rolled in.

"Some hot milk before bed." Sebastian said. Handing both the children a cup, He poured milk from the pot into their cups.

"What about honey?" Ciel asked quietly.

"You can put as much as you want."

"Really?"

Sebastian nodded amiably, handing him the honey. Ciel did put as much as he wanted and when he was content with the amount, he passed the honey to Sakura. The pink haired girl only put a decent amount in her cup before she handed Sebastian the honey back.

"It seems that we have many things to attend to tomorrow. It is best that you both get enough rest tonight."

Once the children finished their drink he put the cups back in the trolley and started towards the door.

"Sebastian, the milk was good." Ciel said from the bed.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." He said back to Ciel with a smile.

"Also… If tomorrow's breakfast is as bad as today's food, I won't forgive you."

"Ah yes… I shall take note of that… Good night, young master, miss." Sebastian took his leave, closing the door behind him.

'Such a difficult master…'

Morning came all too soon for the residents of the Phantomhive manor. In the end Sebastian was still not actually able to make the breakfast fitting enough for Ciel's liking though Sakura didn't really complain at all.

By midmorning, the three were located at the parlor, Sakura quietly reading by the window while Ciel was having his hair cut by Sebastian.

"You really still managed to mess breakfast up."

"I apologize, young master. I made it according to the recipe but…"

"So you mean, you didn't taste it?"

"There is a great difference between my senses and that of humans, you must tell me whether or not something is to your liking and I will work to improve on it." The butler said patiently to Ciel.

"Mhmm. Sebastian is right Ciel. You can't just expect him to do something that will suite your taste perfectly on the first try after all, you're the one who said that he has to do things by human standards." Sakura said from her place, casting her sight on the blue eyed boy.

With a displeased sigh, Ciel conceded to both their points.

"Anyway, there are a lot of things we need to do today. First off, is the matter of how to run this household…"

"Hmm, yes the household matters are indeed a given but as the master of this house, you must be able to attain the type of wisdom and education that can rival that of the adults. There are many monsters lurking about in society, monsters that are far nastier than demons such as myself. A child leading a household can be a perfect prey, young master."

Ciel took this thought to heart. Of course he agreed silently in his mind, Monsters did lurk about in society. From what he'd remember those monsters were what his father had dealt with as his role being the Phantomhive Earl. If he could not be able to do as his father had done then there was no use being the head of the household.

"What are the things that I need to learn about then?" the boy inquired to his butler.

"Language, economics, hunting and horseback riding would be a good place to start. Those things are commonly taught by a governess so I believe we will have to interview for one…"

"No. Don't. I don't want to hire anyone else at the moment."

"Well then, it might be presumptuous of me, but if you allow it I may be a good enough substitute."

"You?" The skeptical tone of Ciel's voice made Sakura voice her opinion on the matter.

"I think Sebastian's idea is a good one Ciel. Taking into consideration how long he's existed he might know a lot about those things."

"The young lady is right young master, I do know quite a bit about those matters though I might be a little strict."

"That'll be fine. Earl and butler, we can't call ourselves as that yet so we need to become the real thing as soon as possible. Sebastian this is an order."

Eyes glowing demonically red and a smirk gracing his face, the butler bowed before his masters dutifully.

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

There you have it. Chapter 2.

Please disregard the teaser that I placed on my page. That won't be happening until after a few chapters so I'm sorry.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who viewed, reviewed, and added this story to their alerts and favorites. There are so many who did this and I can't begin to express my sincerest thanks for still supporting this story!

Thank you so much!

-Elyna-


	3. Chapter 3

So here's the new chapter I hope you guys like it! I worked hard for this chapie... Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts and favourites that this story has gotten it really made me happy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the either Naruto or Kuroshitsuji, just the plot of this story.

* * *

Crimson Scars

Chapter 3

* * *

The first attack came the in the middle of the second night. Moving silently along the courtyard of the estate, several men cautiously approached the manor. It was a wonder really, just how in the world could a burned down mansion be rebuilt so fast. Whoever was occupying that house could either be the missing Phantomhive heir and that mere speculation was enough to rile many people into a frenzy.

Many families held high hopes of being granted the status of a higher rank. With the loss of the entire Phantomhive household, this granted those families the possibility of achieving their dream. Many plans had already been made. Countless movements in order to catch the attention of the Queen had started. Nobles were fickle creatures after all. The promise of glory and fame thrived within their veins. With the Phantomhive name resurfacing those dreams would never be able to come into fruition.

That's why, in the dead of the night dark men moved. These dark men were the best in what they do. Hired killers, assassins of nobles paid and bought by thousands of pounds; hired for the reason of doing anything and everything to get rid of the hindrance that blocked the path to victory.

Being the best, they would have succeeded if not for the fact that they were up against a demon. Their steps echoed easily in the silence of the dead night. Sebastian smirked knowingly in his quarters. How unbelievably foolish creatures humans were! Without one sound Sebastian went to check on his little masters. Sleeping fitfully in their bed not knowing what was going to take place. With another glance he swept out the door, it seemed he had to meet their unexpected guests now.

Sakura lay beside Ciel, her eyes closed but still fully awake. She'd woken from slumber the minute she picked up several unknown presences step into the grounds of the estate. She'd also felt Sebastian's presence a little while ago, checking in on them. Untangling herself from the sheets, Sakura made to stand, carefully moving so that Ciel wouldn't be woken. With silent steps like that of Sebastian's, she went out the door and down the stairs. She headed for the kitchen, drawing out knives arming herself. Once she had her knives she went outside the back door.

Her eyes took in the darkness of the night. Intending to make herself an easy target, she moved along the courtyard. Her white night-gown would surely draw them to her.

The minute he felt her presence he let a frown grace his face. Such a naughty mistress he had. He didn't know what his little miss was intending to do, but the only thing he knew was how troublesome it would become now that Sakura was joining in the fray. No longer interested in prolonging the inevitable, Sebastian moved in for the kill.

Sakura smiled as the rustling of leaves echoed through the courtyard. With sharp eyes, she saw them move in. Hearing a scream tear through the silence, she let out a smile knowing fully well that Sebastian was behind it.

Their visitors also heard the scream perfectly and know they were no longer so fully sure if taking this job was really worth it. Pushing down their fear, they caught sight of a little girl no older than ten. Sleepily walking around the courtyard near the back door, she must be one of the Phantomhives it seemed.

They decided quickly that the girl's life would be a good enough revenge for their fallen companion. A brown-haired man raised his gun, carefully aiming at the girl, he fired. Suddenly the girl was in front of him. A beatific smile on her face, wide green eyes seemed to illuminate through the dark. Pain erupted from his neck, with unbelieving eyes, he fell to the ground.

The instant that the gun was fired, Sakura made her move. Pushing chakra into her feet, she was upon them in a blink of an eye. With practiced ease, she cut through their throat; hitting the vital veins as she did so, cutting their vocals off before they could even utter a single sound. Bodies fell around her in dull thuds. She'd done in about ten men. Fast, silent and efficient, just how her Okaa-san taught her. Screams still echoed through the air, she frowned. It seemed that Sebastian had a penchant for screams. Knowing that Ciel might wake up any moment, Sakura went back up inside.

Tearing off her now bloodied gown, Sakura hurriedly put on a new one and slipped back into their bedroom. It wouldn't do for Ciel to see her in blood soaked clothing. Who knows just how he might react? Turning her eyes to the bed, Sakura saw that Ciel was indeed fully awake. His eyes were wide and frantic, his breathing uneven almost to the point of hyperventilating it seemed. As soon as Sakura saw his state, she was upon him, drawing him into her arms, whispering to him reassuring words.

He hugged her back tightly, his grip bruising. His shoulders shook with terror. Waking up to screams and not finding Sakura next to him scared him immensely. Not more than a minute since waking up, he saw the door open to reveal his pink haired companion and when her eyes landed on him, she hurriedly drew him to her embrace.

Minutes passed by before he was finally able to compose himself.

"Where were you?" he rasped out while still entangled in her embrace.

"I just went to the loo..." Sakura said, running her fingers through his hair,

"Those screams?" His voice quiet as he implored.

"Just unwanted visitor's it seemed. Sebastian's taking care of them now."

"It's loud."

"I know. I think Sebastian enjoys the sounds."

"Humph, of course. He does."

Sakura giggled at his scoff, he was back to his regular self now.

The screams finally died down. After a few minutes a knock on the door was heard, Sebastian carefully opened the door and peered in.

Just as he'd thought, Ciel was now also awake. As he took in the sight of the pink haired girl, he noted that she was now wearing a new night-gown. No doubt that her previous one had been tainted by blood. When he'd finished with dealing with the men he'd found he went back to where Sakura had just been. The sight that had greeted him had him amazed. Somehow, his little mistress new exactly how to kill, her methods had been precise, giving the assailants a quick death. It was an intriguing side to the pink haired girl. He'd never have thought the shy pink haired girl had it in her to kill.

Now he saw how perfect his little charges were. The two children were definitely worth all the trouble. His perfect meal, his perfect little souls; Sebastian couldn't help but think how glorious their souls would taste once the time came.

Now as he stood by door of the quarters of his master, he caught Sakura's gaze. The pink haired girl smile at him, her eyes held something he'd not seen before. Right there on those beautiful brilliant green eyes was the unmistakable trace of blood lust. The eyes of a killer, the eyes of a predator hiding behind the facade of pink innocence... and as he stared into those eyes he knew, that her bloodlust had been satiated, if only for a little bit.

The following day, it was as if things had gone back to normal. As they'd planned the day before, the two children started their lessons, Ciel learning all he had to about being an Earl while Sakura took on the things that a proper lady should know and do. He watched in mirth as both of them took the lessons. He could clearly see the struggle Ciel was going through with his lessons while Sakura did it at face value. The girl obviously read through it, practiced it but refused to actually live it. He could see the boredom in her eyes, as she pretended so flawlessly to be a lady in court. If she'd been a demon like him, he had no doubt in his mind that she would certainly be an A-class demon.

* * *

Ciel found out about Sakura's blood lust after a few nights, one of the enemies had been able to slip in to the house and into their bedroom while Sebastian was busy dealing with the others outside. Unlike the first night of enemies trying to kill them, Sakura lay beside Ciel. Both children slept soundly, oblivious to what was about to take place. Fatigue had both of them worn out, the day's events taking a toll on them.

The man inched closely towards the bed. His eyes trained upon the figures occupying it. Slowly he pulled out his gun aiming it on the head of the sleeping boy. The hostile aura had awakened the pink haired child, eyes closed in fake sleep, Sakura moved to Ciel; wrapping her arms around the blue haired boy. With Sakura blocking Ciel, the gunman had to move his aim. Taking that exact moment Sakura took two of the darts on the nightstand and threw it at the gunman, hitting him directly on both of his eyes. With a pained cry, the gunman dropped the gun his hands flying over his face trying to dislodge the projectiles from his bleeding eyes. The loud cry had woken Ciel; with wide eyes the sight of an unknown man clutching at his eye awoke the old fear within him. Just as he was about to cry out, he felt a hand clamping down on his mouth.

"Shh! don't you dare scream Ciel!" The low whisper of Sakura's comforting voice made him stop himself from screaming. Turning his gaze at his pink haired companion, Ciel looked at Sakura, panic clearly showing on his young face.

The gunman tried to ignore the burning pain in his eyes as he groped around the floor for his weapon. One of those damned kids did this to him and he no longer cared which one shoots. He would make them pay.

The malicious intent coming from the man only seemed to fuel Sakura's growing blood lust. The pinkette could already feel the thrill of her inner's awakening. Without another word, Sakura drew away from the bed, retrieving the man's weapon that had lain a few feet from the edge of the bed. Sakura carefully inspected the gun. It was one of those expensive rare guns that she'd seen in a book just the day before and by the looks of it, it was quite well maintained clearly signifying the importance its owner gave in caring for the firearm. With a sadistic smile settling on her pretty face, Sakura moved closer to the gunman, stopping only a few feet away from the pitiful man. Raising the gun to the man's forehead, Sakura cocked it. The click made the man stop in his tracks, as Sakura put the gun against the man's forehead but just as she was about to pull the trigger, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

She shifted her attention from the grovelling man to the young earl. With a sickly sweet smile, she called his attention to her.

"Ne Ciel-kun, come here."

"W-what?" The young Phantomhive could only stare at Sakura, clearly baffled at what she wanted him to do.

He'd vaguely known of this side to her, the first time he'd met her she had killed several men with only a weapon that appeared t kind of knife. From the time that they'd shared being held in captivity, she never exhibited this type of personality and now it seemed that this side of her was brought on by that fateful night.

With an impatient scoff, Sakura beckoned him to go t her side. When the man thought that she was off guard he'd tried to lunge blindly at Sakura. Sakura sneered at the man's pitiful attempt and without missing a beat; she kicked the man harshly on his shoulder. The strength of the impact was enough to dislocate the man's shoulder and with another pained cry, the man lay in pain on the floor.

"Come on Ciel!" Seeing Sakura's impatient glare, Ciel walked slowly to the girl's side, the moment that Ciel reached her side Sakura handed him the gun.

"Go on Ciel, do it. Kill the man for what he's worth." Sakura's urged him to pull the trigger, her tone was sweet and comforting yet he still hesitated.

"I don't know if I can..." His words were quietly spoken, barely even masking the anxiousness that had settled over him.

"You're joking right!?" Her voice was louder this time frustration clearly evident at his hesitance.

"You made a deal with a bloody demon but you can't even get rid of this goddamned assassin?! Are you bloody kidding me?!" The hysteria in her voice was obvious.

The young Phantomhive looked down, unable to meet her eyes. Sakura saw his own frustration and decided to take a different approach. Honestly! Of all the things to hesitate on he picked this?! He wanted revenge but he couldn't even take a person's life? How the hell would he even carry out his vengeance if he couldn't even do this? This was clearly an obstacle that they needed to do something about and now seemed like the perfect time to do so.

Sakura took Ciel's hands and placed the gun in them.

"Don't think about not being able to do this Ciel. Just think about what you want the most. You want to get your revenge right?" The boy nodded at her words.

"Then just pull the trigger. This is the real first step Ciel. This is the real first step in fulfilling your revenge."

With her words the doubt, the hesitation ebbed away from his mind. She was right. This was the first step. The deal with Sebastian was only insurance, his ace to use when all the cards were out. This act would prove his resolve in obtaining his revenge.

With a renewed determination he took aim and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Sebastian heard the sound of a gun going off. For a moment he'd thought that his master's had been the one shot but the enticing scent of malice and fading innocence had him salivating. It seemed that while he was busy dealing with things here both his masters were having fun.

With a smirk he decided to end the game now. He wanted to go to his little master's side. Moving as fast as the demon he was, he attacked his enemies and within seconds, bodies littered around him. He left no one alive.

Without sparing another glance at the litter of corpses he trudged back into the estate.

* * *

The sight that greeted him was absolutely divine. There stood Ciel Phantomhive, shaking on his feet as he held the gun still aimed at the corpse of the gunman. Sakura stood by Ciel's with a pleased look on her face. Masking his delight, he decided to play as the perfect butler's part. Rushing over to both of his masters he quickly looked over them to check for any unwanted damages. Though his senses already indicated that both of them weren't actually hurt he still fussed over them as a concerned butler should. Human children did of course need a reassuring figure in their life and for now, he was the one stuck with that role.

Sebastian led the children out of the room; it would be unseemingly for both of his masters to stay in a room where death had just touched. He would deal with the body later and for now; he would just put all his attention to taking care of his little masters. The night's events were quite more than enough to wear a person down and he had no doubt in his mind that both of them were very much tired. Perhaps a glass of milk would do both of them good and help calm their nerves.

Opening the doors to another spacious bedroom, Sebastian led the two children to the bed. With a promise to return with two cups of hot milk, he left the children in the room.

After the couple of minutes it took for him to prepare the milk, he headed back to where Ciel and Sakura were. He found them still sitting quietly on the bed just as he'd left them. Going over to their side, Sebastian served them the promised milk. Sakura took her cup calmly but Ciel on the other hand was still a bit shaken and blatantly refused the milk, knowing better than to push the boy, Sebastian just set the cup of milk on the nightstand and bowed dutifully at them and then went out the room to tend to the body of the dead gunman.

Once he entered the room he approached the body to inspect it. It seemed like this one had slipped away from the rest at the beginning of the attack and had gone on his own to do the job. Although he knew better than to simply leave his masters vulnerable he had been confident that Sakura would deal with it so it came as a surprise to him as to why it had been Ciel who'd pulled the trigger. From the looks of the body, the person had clearly suffered much before being actually shot in the head. The blood seeping from the eyes indicated that both of his eyes had been punctured by the darts that lay a few feet from the body, the man's shattered shoulder bone was also a testament to Sakura's work. Maybe next time he'd get the pleasure of actually witnessing both of the children kill somebody. He would especially enjoy how the spike of the scents of their soul rise and mix with the tantalizing aroma of the corruption of their innocent little souls. And to think things had only just begun for them! How utterly delightful! With a breath taking smirk, he snapped his fingers and watched as the corpse was pulled away by the shadows leaving no trace at all, not even a tiny drop of blood.

* * *

Sakura sighed as she watched Ciel pick at his food. It was very obvious in that morning that Ciel was still bothered by the previous night's events. Seeing him sulk was getting her nerves. She knew that she'd been pretty much out of character with how she'd acted the night before and she was aware of the reason why. Her inner persona had resurfaced last night and she was forced to watch as her inner made Ciel kill a person. Inwardly she knew that it was necessary but with Ciel being the sheltered boy he was it was still a difficult endeavour for him. She'd gotten over the apparent shock that came with killing a person after a couple of times she'd done so with the supervision of her father. He'd provided her with the warmth and comfort she had needed whenever she'd been shaken by those acts. Ciel was definitely taking it easier than how she'd first reacted in the aftermath of committing the deed. Sakura inwardly cringed at the memory of violently shaking and screaming in the middle of the night after the whole thing.

Even though Ciel's mood was enough to drag her own mood down, it seemed that the only one in high spirits was Sebastian. From the moment he'd come to accompany them to breakfast he'd already been humming a soft cheerful tune silently to himself. His mood was probably due to the events of last night.

The rest of the day consisted of Ciel still sulking silently as he progressed to their endeavours. By sunset, Sakura had decided that she'd had enough. Stalking over angrily at Ciel, she angrily knocked the book out of the boy's grasp. Ciel's eyes had widened in shock at Sakura's actions.

"How long are you going to sulk around Ciel?!" Sakura's gaze was piercing as her eyes were trained on the boy before her.

Ciel recovered from his shock and glared angrily at the pink haired girl's words.

"I'm not sulking! How dare you just knock over the book I was reading?!"

"Oh really you were reading?! Well I've been watching you 'read' for the past hour now and all you've done is stare at the same goddamned page this entire time!" Sakura returned Ciel's glare as fiercely as she could, she wasn't done yet.

"Don't you know that I really hate how you're acting right now?! You said that you'd do anything to achieve your revenge but the way you're acting right now is how WEAK people act. So you took a man's life, what's the big deal?! The things that had happened to during THAT time were nothing compared to what happened last night! So just get over it!" It took all of Sakura's effort to keep herself from slapping her blue haired friend. His stupidity was astounding and she found very little patience to deal with it.

"You're right, I'm sorry..." He admitted it with a defeated sigh. The words that Sakura had said were enough to make him realize how idiotic he'd been acting the whole day. He was acting like a weak coward and that didn't seat well with him at all. Sakura had made it clear the first time they'd met that she didn't tolerate weak beings and on the night he'd made the deal with Sebastian he'd promised for Sakura's sake that he'd never allow himself to be weak again, now it was as if he was breaking his own promise.

Sebastian who'd stepped out of the room a couple of minutes before had been quite surprised to find them on the middle of a heated argument. Instead of stepping in, he'd made them deal with it by themselves. He had no business going in to troubles that didn't necessarily put their lives in danger and human affairs were never really much of his thing to begin with.

As he watched Ciel admit his fault, he wondered inwardly to himself if Sakura was the only actual person who could make the young Phantomhive acknowledge his faults or if the boy was like that to most people. He figured that it only to Sakura seeing as the young arrogant boy never really even listened to him in the first place.

Silence settled down after the little argument and deciding that it was probably over, Sebastian stepped into the room to make his presence known.

"Excuse me dear masters, but the preparations for dinner is now finished. Would you like to have dinner now?"

The reply he'd gotten was a curt nod from Ciel and a small smile from Sakura. Receiving their y affirmation, He led the children out the study and down to the dining room.

The duration of the meal was still quiet but unlike the meals before, the atmosphere was much more comfortable and less tense.

* * *

A couple of weeks passed by and the number of attacks that occurred had become less and less frequently as it had been before. In one of the attacks, Ciel had ordered Sebastian to take one of the assailants as a prisoner for interrogation but it seemed that the hired men really didn't know the identity of their employer as they broke down from the torture that Sebastian had put them through. Both Ciel and Sakura had watched the ordeal with cold, calculating eyes. When the man broke Ciel was the one who'd ordered Sebastian to finish the pathetic man off.

Their days were spent with training for their integration back to society and their efforts paid off when a letter from the queen herself had arrived. It spoke of Ciel being invited back and inheriting the position of his predecessor as an Earl. They'd hired an excellent tailor to fashion their clothes for the event.

On the day of the big event, Ciel had ordered Sebastian to make sure that everything would end up just as they'd wanted.

Nobles from the royal court all went to attend the ceremonies. As Ciel, Sakura and Sebastian made their way through the halls of the palace whispers could be heard all around them. Not many were trying to mask their obvious distaste about Ciel being given the title of Earl.

Amongst the litter of people, Ciel had spotted the poised frame of his aunt Frances Middleford, the Marchioness. She was accompanied by her husband along with his Fiancé Elizabeth and his older cousin Edward. Their attire exuded their stature just as he did. Sakura had tried very hard to convince him that she would be more comfortable in a simple dress but the tailor had insisted on making her a very beautiful and intricate gown. Insisting that her exotic beauty would captivate the many nobles and for the most part of it she was actually right. Among the malicious whispers were also whispers of wonder as to who Sakura was.

Ciel almost stopped at the sight of his other relatives. He did not want to cross paths with them yet. His aunt had always been very strict and if he was seen accompanying another female he had no doubt in his mind that his aunt would end up letting out harsh words towards his pink haired companion.

Unfortunately just as he was about to change his course his dear Fiancé had seen him. Loudly pointing out his direction to her parents, Ciel could only freeze in horror as the Middleford family approached.


End file.
